ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2022
Co-Infections, Secondary Infections, and Antimicrobial Use in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 during the First Five Waves of the Pandemic in Pakistan; Findings and Implications.
Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed.
- Antibiotic use in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome due to SARS-CoV-2 in a Brazilian University Hospital (2020-2021).Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2026Article
- Paediatricians' knowledge, perceptions, preparedness and involvement towards paediatric antimicrobial stewardship in Pakistan: findings and the implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Impact of a hub-and-spoke approach to hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes on antibiotic use in Zambia.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Article
- Antibiotic usage patterns in COVID-19 patients in five tertiary hospitals from Bangladesh: A countrywide picture.IJID regions · 2024Article
- Co-Infection of SARS-CoV-2 andDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Antimicrobial Use during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in a Greek Tertiary University Hospital.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Hospital prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Zambia using the WHO prescribing indicators post-COVID-19 pandemic: findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Awareness and Practices towards Vaccinating Their Children against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study among Pakistani Parents.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers in Lusaka, Zambia; Findings and Implications for the Future.Vaccines · 2023Article
- Article
- Antimicrobial Dispensing Practices during COVID-19 and the Implications for Pakistan.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Hospital antibiotic consumption-an interrupted time series analysis of the early and late phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, a retrospective study.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2023Article
- Ongoing Strategies to Improve Antimicrobial Utilization in Hospitals across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Antibiotic Utilization Patterns for Different Wound Types among Surgical Patients: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Antibiotic Overprescribing among Neonates and Children Hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pakistan and the Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Self-Medication Including Antibiotics among Health Care Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Assessing the Clinical Characteristics and Management of COVID-19 among Pediatric Patients in Ghana: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Use of Systemic Antibiotics in Patients with COVID-19 in Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
Background: COVID-19 patients are typically prescribed antibiotics empirically despite concerns. There is a need to evaluate antibiotic use among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during successive pandemic waves in Pakistan alongside co-infection rates. Methods: A retrospective review of patient records among five tertiary care hospitals during successive waves was conducted. Data were collected from confirmed COVID-19 patients during the first five waves. Results: 3221 patients were included. The majority were male (51.53%), residents from urban areas (56.35%) and aged >50 years (52.06%). Cough, fever and a sore throat were the clinical symptoms in 20.39%, 12.97% and 9.50% of patients, respectively. A total of 23.62% of COVID-19 patients presented with typically mild disease and 45.48% presented with moderate disease. A high prevalence of antibiotic prescribing (89.69%), averaging 1.66 antibiotics per patient despite there only being 1.14% bacterial co-infections and 3.14% secondary infections, was found. Antibiotic use significantly increased with increasing severity, elevated WBCs and CRP levels, a need for oxygen and admittance to the ICU; however, this decreased significantly after the second wave (p < 0.001). Commonly prescribed antibiotics were piperacillin plus an enzyme inhibitor (20.66%), azithromycin (17.37%) and meropenem (15.45%). Common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (24.19%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (20.96%). The majority of the prescribed antibiotics (93.35%) were from the WHO’s “Watch” category. Conclusions: Excessive prescribing of antibiotics is still occurring among COVID-19 patients in Pakistan; however, rates are reducing. Urgent measures are needed for further reductions.
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